Footwork:
Forward, backwards, off lining. Variation 1 is the step and pivot away from yourself. The second variation is the short side step, quarter turn and drive forward which to the eye look sideways. The point is that Martin is giving us evasive options instead of going backwards. We need to get comfortable at moving and being alive in the feet, never flat footed and plodding. So we did lots of drilling, drilling and drilling. We then looked at testing and finding the range and off lining.
The video below goes over very similar things to what Martin was talking about. What he does make reference to is where the punches are coming from. Martin talk about the 2 power lines and the four directions of evasive movement. This is something we will be delving into in the next few weeks but something worth thinking on when practicing at home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBtQHnIJEm4
Jab and counter jab, right cross and shoulder roll.
Trying to feel the right range and body mechanics for each of the punches. For me the range for the jab is
Some footage of the shoulder roll in pro boxing matches. Interestingly, the shell that Martin talks about is applied in this clip too. Tight, fluid and constant motion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCiVNJ60RyA
Here is a clip teaching this coach’s particular flavor of the shoulder roll. Again he has a tight and compact shell
Double wrist lock from hand on hip then from taking the back.
Again, more mechanics. Working with Paul and Trist I found that even a tight grip is ok from the attacker. I was being a little rough with Paul by not giving him any gaps. It was only when he used my grip as a lever did he start to have success. If you simply fight for grip dominance this give that holder much more time. As soon as my balance was messed with my grip became less effective.
Restraint from double wrist lock.
If the shoulder rotation is not working, swap hands – the arm you are holding of your own is the one that slides into his elbow crease and on to the back of the shoulder. The hand you were grabbing yourself with goes to the face. Turn the face for a painful and powerful restraint
Thai clinch plus defence
Martin ran through the mechanics of the Thai clinch.
Reach up for the head and do not lift up for it as this will compromise your base and balance. Hands high on the head, the crown, hand over hand, elbows into the top of the chest. If you do not have the hands high on the head it is very difficult to get the head to fold forward. In addition, by having a strong turtle neck can also negate his Thai clinch. I guess as always, constant motion is difficult to control. Being still is lovely in grappling as there is something to hold onto. Movement is a bitch to nullify. In this video pro fighter Yves Edwards discusses his own way to get it and a defence that is a slightly different from the one Martin showed – hands on his chin and extend your arms and drive him backwards.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBKPCl3L1hw
We then looked at a counter to the straight arm defence which was to slip and look for the head and arm trap/control. The second method was to grab across (for example, your left to grab his left) and high on his elbow. As your lever him down make sure at least the wrist is on the back of his not your hand as this will afford him space to move. By using the forearm on the back of the head this creates much greater pressure and cranking on the neck
And to finish off, a compilation video of KOs from the thai clinch so show what a devastating position it can be and hence the importance of learning not to get caught in there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POvmZ-uw3OI
Tuesday, 11 February 2014
Wednesday, 5 February 2014
Tuesday, 4 February 2014
Class notes: peripheral vision
Footwork basics:
Get the distance between feet and stance length correct plus balancing. Good old fashioned drilling of the footwork. From observation my weight is too much over the front leg so I need to shift it back. The usual refinements in front of a mirror and camera need to be employed for this and the rest of the training from the night. I want to be able to do it all well, fluidly and naturally and this won’t come by writing and thinking about it. Last Sunday morning, whist watching UFC 169 I worked on visualization and repping the lessons from last week.
Off lining foot work:
Remember that going back in a straight line is a no no so this helps to create vital time and space. For me, the best way to interanalise this is little step, big step, pivot, side step. We did this for a few rounds in the air then against a moving partner. The key is pulling the far side hip back as this will cause the rest of the body to follow. Again my weight was too much over the front leg. Need to get the feeling of 60% on the back whilst being on the heels, tight defence, chin tucked, flexed knees, lifted yet relaxed shoulders. In addition, move off line and out of danger and don’t be too quick to square up afterwards.
Peripheral vision drill:
Foot, foot, elbow, elbow, chin. First facing your partner then being perpendicular. This led into applying the right cross as when it lands you are not looking at the target as you are protecting your chin from counter shots.
Jab and counter:
Building on the reps from last week and refining the motions. Tonight more subtle details were added – be cognisent of the range, don’t be step into that danger zone, tucked chin, make sure you move the head and hand half distance, not just one.
Pak scoop jab defence followed by a right cross:
Rear pak guides the punch along its powerline down and away just giving you enough space to counter with the right cross.
This was full of little details for me hence the following list. This will enable me to practice the mechanics of it much easier.
Twist and extend, not lean and over extend. The finishing position, if photographed, sees the body balanced, head tucked into the shoulder chin arm, eyes looking down as the chin is tucked.
At first this was very bizarre as I am so used, wrongly, to having eyes on the target. This is where the peripheral vision comes in, also feeling his arm under yours can only mean that his head is more than likely at the end of his arm. It was nice to be called on my errors and refine the mechanics tonight. Now I know what it should feel like I can get on. A shade over 20 years in martial arts and tonight I learned how to throw a correct right cross. Better late than never.
Shoulder roll against the right cross:
Pull the far side shoulder back as you lean into the turn away. This is one of the passive defence techniques and makes more sense than biting down and swinging for the fences no matter what is coming your way. I think it also encourages constant movement and something else Martin talked about was using the body in ways that it is is always looking for ways to attack and set up attacks.
Jab counter with movement and freedom:
On with the 4oz gloves and more aliveness was brought into the drill. It was so rewarding to put the gloves back on after 9 months of no contact. What was interesting working with Darren tonight was seeing the tightness of his defence and movement. Nothing exaggerated or wasted, good balance, precision of movement, never still, presenting very small if any targets, confidence in movement. It is these refinements that I am enjoying learning.
Give and take a shot drill:
This drill teaches defending big shots but borrowing the energy and direction of the attack and loading it into yours and attacking from it. No good is it being hit and giving no response as the end will come quickly. This drill teaches tight and precise mechanics, efficiency in defence and attack,
Left hook attack, head hug defence – left hook counter, then from the right hook. Left body shot – meet it – uppercut, then the same from the right hand. This was most intruiging as well because the defence to a body shot traditionally is to fold slightly from the hip to minimize the target area, the problem is that this leaves you with few attacking options and outs your in a more vulnerable position. Meet it and stay tight, you can then fire the uppercut as your counter.
Double wrist-lock against grab from the rear:
As last week.
High on the chest taking of the back:
Turn the hips out, step back and behind them with nearside leg. From here you can lift, takedown.
Bringing the class to a close Martin talked about there being no concrete definition of what the class is. The journey is individual to us all. Hence the new blog URL. It is still about growth and learning from mistakes but it is also about becoming that complete martial artist. For many years it was about fear: of being attacked, of fear itself, of violence, of not being to deal with a violent encounter, of pain.
To a massive degree, BJJ and MMA taught me a lot about my fears. I still have them as part of what makes me me and my motivations to train. But I also am enjoying the journey a lot more. No longer am I concerned with some imagined destination where I become a ninja with B-movie style superpowers leaving all in my wake. It is now about refining movement, physical chess, learning to use my body and skills efficiently, not collecting forms, techniques and books (which I did for far too many years). I guess it is about being a martial artist and not someone who does martial arts.
Get the distance between feet and stance length correct plus balancing. Good old fashioned drilling of the footwork. From observation my weight is too much over the front leg so I need to shift it back. The usual refinements in front of a mirror and camera need to be employed for this and the rest of the training from the night. I want to be able to do it all well, fluidly and naturally and this won’t come by writing and thinking about it. Last Sunday morning, whist watching UFC 169 I worked on visualization and repping the lessons from last week.
Off lining foot work:
Remember that going back in a straight line is a no no so this helps to create vital time and space. For me, the best way to interanalise this is little step, big step, pivot, side step. We did this for a few rounds in the air then against a moving partner. The key is pulling the far side hip back as this will cause the rest of the body to follow. Again my weight was too much over the front leg. Need to get the feeling of 60% on the back whilst being on the heels, tight defence, chin tucked, flexed knees, lifted yet relaxed shoulders. In addition, move off line and out of danger and don’t be too quick to square up afterwards.
Peripheral vision drill:
Foot, foot, elbow, elbow, chin. First facing your partner then being perpendicular. This led into applying the right cross as when it lands you are not looking at the target as you are protecting your chin from counter shots.
Jab and counter:
Building on the reps from last week and refining the motions. Tonight more subtle details were added – be cognisent of the range, don’t be step into that danger zone, tucked chin, make sure you move the head and hand half distance, not just one.
Pak scoop jab defence followed by a right cross:
Rear pak guides the punch along its powerline down and away just giving you enough space to counter with the right cross.
This was full of little details for me hence the following list. This will enable me to practice the mechanics of it much easier.
Twist and extend, not lean and over extend. The finishing position, if photographed, sees the body balanced, head tucked into the shoulder chin arm, eyes looking down as the chin is tucked.
At first this was very bizarre as I am so used, wrongly, to having eyes on the target. This is where the peripheral vision comes in, also feeling his arm under yours can only mean that his head is more than likely at the end of his arm. It was nice to be called on my errors and refine the mechanics tonight. Now I know what it should feel like I can get on. A shade over 20 years in martial arts and tonight I learned how to throw a correct right cross. Better late than never.
Shoulder roll against the right cross:
Pull the far side shoulder back as you lean into the turn away. This is one of the passive defence techniques and makes more sense than biting down and swinging for the fences no matter what is coming your way. I think it also encourages constant movement and something else Martin talked about was using the body in ways that it is is always looking for ways to attack and set up attacks.
Jab counter with movement and freedom:
On with the 4oz gloves and more aliveness was brought into the drill. It was so rewarding to put the gloves back on after 9 months of no contact. What was interesting working with Darren tonight was seeing the tightness of his defence and movement. Nothing exaggerated or wasted, good balance, precision of movement, never still, presenting very small if any targets, confidence in movement. It is these refinements that I am enjoying learning.
Give and take a shot drill:
This drill teaches defending big shots but borrowing the energy and direction of the attack and loading it into yours and attacking from it. No good is it being hit and giving no response as the end will come quickly. This drill teaches tight and precise mechanics, efficiency in defence and attack,
Left hook attack, head hug defence – left hook counter, then from the right hook. Left body shot – meet it – uppercut, then the same from the right hand. This was most intruiging as well because the defence to a body shot traditionally is to fold slightly from the hip to minimize the target area, the problem is that this leaves you with few attacking options and outs your in a more vulnerable position. Meet it and stay tight, you can then fire the uppercut as your counter.
Double wrist-lock against grab from the rear:
As last week.
High on the chest taking of the back:
Turn the hips out, step back and behind them with nearside leg. From here you can lift, takedown.
Bringing the class to a close Martin talked about there being no concrete definition of what the class is. The journey is individual to us all. Hence the new blog URL. It is still about growth and learning from mistakes but it is also about becoming that complete martial artist. For many years it was about fear: of being attacked, of fear itself, of violence, of not being to deal with a violent encounter, of pain.
To a massive degree, BJJ and MMA taught me a lot about my fears. I still have them as part of what makes me me and my motivations to train. But I also am enjoying the journey a lot more. No longer am I concerned with some imagined destination where I become a ninja with B-movie style superpowers leaving all in my wake. It is now about refining movement, physical chess, learning to use my body and skills efficiently, not collecting forms, techniques and books (which I did for far too many years). I guess it is about being a martial artist and not someone who does martial arts.
Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Class notes: the new beginning
Being back with Martin and the class was like we had never been away. It was great to see so many familiar faces and that throughout the night training was serious, fun, focused and relaxed all at the same time!
As always with this blog it is only my point of view and my memory that gets these words down. All errors and misconceptions are mine alone and will hopefully be edited as my understanding and learning develops. This blog is also reflective of where I am in life and my journey down the path of martial arts which last Autumn was my 20th following this endeavor.
Martin gave a brief yet deep introduction. He talked of where this path is going, why and what he now teaches and all the different influences that have got him and ultimately us to this point. My primary understanding is that he wants to guide us along the path of being martial artists, not just in our weekly class but beyond.
And so to the class.
3 drill:
Just getting warmed up by rolling with lots of different partners but our main focus was the chin. Previously the head sat on top of the spine, now we are more concerned with head preservation and tucking the makes sound defensive sense. Whilst the 3 drill is not a fight, I think it does teach and develop attributes distance, range, timing, relaxing under attack and in attack, sensitivity at close range, fluid motion over stiff. In keeping the chin down you add another dimension to your practice by forming the habit of keeping the chin down. For some tucking the chin equals tight neck and shoulders so over time this is something to be aware of. On a less modest note was how quickly the 3 drill came back to all which made me realise how much we must have done all those moons ago.
Double wrist lock (Upward shoulder rotation) against the rear bear hug:
It transpires that only the daft will take your back this way if they want their shoulder ripped to pieces. It does make better sense to take the back from the angle. Instead of your hips facing his, have your hips to the side so you are facing one of his hips. This is a much safer yet offensive position to work from.
Tight scoop and lever; hug yourself with your own elbow and get right under his forearm. Keep the hug tight. Snaking tarn between his forearm and you, other hand comes over and grabs his wrist (thumb inside), tightly grab your wrist, lean onto his shoulder and rotate the shoulder by taking his hand higher than his elbow. This is one of those moves you need to see, feel and simply drill. Other hints are for the takedown by standing on the foot and fast torquing of the body as if to rip the arm off. The separating of his wrist from your body is not a slow motion, getting to it yes as you want absolute control, but when it comes to the rotation, explosively rotate for maximum effect.
Forearm break from double wrist lock
– palm up grab, rotate, deep DWL, ulna against his wrist and rev.
Lead jab and counter:
Horizontal fist striking is new for many people at the class as they were used to the wing chun bottom 3 knuckles. Martin is giving us greater food for thought. He gave a brief demo regarding distance and range and how the plane of the punch changes with it. Long range = HF, as you get closer to the opponent the angle moves towards vertical. Jab details: lead with the shoulder and the the chin, weight is balanced through the feet, balls of the feet.
Rear hand pak sau defence against the jab
– half an half motion – hand and head. This tightens your defense and gives the opponent less options. A large and extended pak sau leaves you open for an attack along his second power line. Sort tight motions prevent him reading your defences quickly. As we spend more time on this I can comment more too. As a drill it looked like A jabs, B pak sau, B jab and A pak sau.
Testing hook defence after jab feeds:
Man sau – turn from the torso keeping the motion small and tight in the body and the arm, do not over extend and give him lines to crash through. Again this was an example of being economical and precise with your motions, it was also for about staying calm. I can liken it to teaching children in my day job how to catch a tennis ball. Normally in the beginning they reach and extend with the arms when the most efficient way is to stay relaxed and use the legs and the body. It makes sense to me as I taught this last week… This man sau will, never block a powerful hook. Ever. It is more the range finder type strike
Last chance saloon punch defence:
Bicep hugging roll, but in balance ready to throw from and out of.
The old adage of time flying when you have fun is a perfect way to describe tonight. Even though it has been a long time since the class ended, the night of the London riots, I feel like it was yesterday. I am looking forward to complementing all the lessons I learned at MMA and moving forward in my understanding of using my limbs to outwit another and his limbs but also actually trying to apply this learning to life.
As always with this blog it is only my point of view and my memory that gets these words down. All errors and misconceptions are mine alone and will hopefully be edited as my understanding and learning develops. This blog is also reflective of where I am in life and my journey down the path of martial arts which last Autumn was my 20th following this endeavor.
Martin gave a brief yet deep introduction. He talked of where this path is going, why and what he now teaches and all the different influences that have got him and ultimately us to this point. My primary understanding is that he wants to guide us along the path of being martial artists, not just in our weekly class but beyond.
And so to the class.
3 drill:
Just getting warmed up by rolling with lots of different partners but our main focus was the chin. Previously the head sat on top of the spine, now we are more concerned with head preservation and tucking the makes sound defensive sense. Whilst the 3 drill is not a fight, I think it does teach and develop attributes distance, range, timing, relaxing under attack and in attack, sensitivity at close range, fluid motion over stiff. In keeping the chin down you add another dimension to your practice by forming the habit of keeping the chin down. For some tucking the chin equals tight neck and shoulders so over time this is something to be aware of. On a less modest note was how quickly the 3 drill came back to all which made me realise how much we must have done all those moons ago.
Double wrist lock (Upward shoulder rotation) against the rear bear hug:
It transpires that only the daft will take your back this way if they want their shoulder ripped to pieces. It does make better sense to take the back from the angle. Instead of your hips facing his, have your hips to the side so you are facing one of his hips. This is a much safer yet offensive position to work from.
Tight scoop and lever; hug yourself with your own elbow and get right under his forearm. Keep the hug tight. Snaking tarn between his forearm and you, other hand comes over and grabs his wrist (thumb inside), tightly grab your wrist, lean onto his shoulder and rotate the shoulder by taking his hand higher than his elbow. This is one of those moves you need to see, feel and simply drill. Other hints are for the takedown by standing on the foot and fast torquing of the body as if to rip the arm off. The separating of his wrist from your body is not a slow motion, getting to it yes as you want absolute control, but when it comes to the rotation, explosively rotate for maximum effect.
Forearm break from double wrist lock
– palm up grab, rotate, deep DWL, ulna against his wrist and rev.
Lead jab and counter:
Horizontal fist striking is new for many people at the class as they were used to the wing chun bottom 3 knuckles. Martin is giving us greater food for thought. He gave a brief demo regarding distance and range and how the plane of the punch changes with it. Long range = HF, as you get closer to the opponent the angle moves towards vertical. Jab details: lead with the shoulder and the the chin, weight is balanced through the feet, balls of the feet.
Rear hand pak sau defence against the jab
– half an half motion – hand and head. This tightens your defense and gives the opponent less options. A large and extended pak sau leaves you open for an attack along his second power line. Sort tight motions prevent him reading your defences quickly. As we spend more time on this I can comment more too. As a drill it looked like A jabs, B pak sau, B jab and A pak sau.
Testing hook defence after jab feeds:
Man sau – turn from the torso keeping the motion small and tight in the body and the arm, do not over extend and give him lines to crash through. Again this was an example of being economical and precise with your motions, it was also for about staying calm. I can liken it to teaching children in my day job how to catch a tennis ball. Normally in the beginning they reach and extend with the arms when the most efficient way is to stay relaxed and use the legs and the body. It makes sense to me as I taught this last week… This man sau will, never block a powerful hook. Ever. It is more the range finder type strike
Last chance saloon punch defence:
Bicep hugging roll, but in balance ready to throw from and out of.
The old adage of time flying when you have fun is a perfect way to describe tonight. Even though it has been a long time since the class ended, the night of the London riots, I feel like it was yesterday. I am looking forward to complementing all the lessons I learned at MMA and moving forward in my understanding of using my limbs to outwit another and his limbs but also actually trying to apply this learning to life.
Tuesday, 17 December 2013
The path opens again
So Martin is going to start teaching again after a 2 year hiatus.
Since then I have dived into MMA and come out of it with a nice knee injury thanks to nothing more than a training accident in a grapple.
I am really excited about Martin's evolved perspective on the martial arts and being part of that journey. Role on January.
Friday, 26 August 2011
Week 62
A pause in the path.
For a variety of reasons class has stopped and will hopefully start again in 6 months or so.
I am going to find an MMA class in the meantime, set up a separate blog but will link to from here.
Hopefully the MMA classes will help me to face some of those striking demons I have...
For a variety of reasons class has stopped and will hopefully start again in 6 months or so.
I am going to find an MMA class in the meantime, set up a separate blog but will link to from here.
Hopefully the MMA classes will help me to face some of those striking demons I have...
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
Week 61
Return of H. Not surprisingly he settled right back into to it, no sign to ring rust. Most pleased to have him throwing strong, direct and intent heavy attacks my way.
3 drill.
The first part of the class was devoted to 3 drill. The basic roll with ne slight difference: the defences to the chop and backfist used punches. This helped to emphasise the forward motion and intent needed for the correct defence along the centreline. Martin also kept us alert of the need to full laps.
Martin then discussed the limitation of lap sau outside of the 3 drill in sparring or real world application. He had us work the 3 drill at a slower pace to emphasise feeling and reacting to the feel over what the eyes are seeing. If the lap is there take it, if not go forward with another technique. Point being don’t just lap as it is part of the drill. Moving on we had to alter the defence to the backfist by using a crushing energy to put their punch inside their own centreline thus making a regular outside gate lap useless, instead the piston punch was practised.
My interpretation of this aspect of the training tonight was the importance of the centreline. Martin talked about what we should strive to get the opponent to do if the guard is wing chun style (get them to separate the hands to open a gap) or a more western boxer style (get them to close the gap so we can control the arms and the fight better).
Backs against the wall.
There might be an occasion where in the ring or in the street where the opponent has their back against a structure meaning that we can’t drive forward. This is best illustrated in the recent fight between Fedor and Hendo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypkEKRHGt0I
Apply forward pressure in the clinch and at your own choosing disengage and throw 2 hooks. As Hendo shows, and luckily for Fedor, the 2 hooks of death just miss. We worked the concept through a short drill, firstly open hand and then on the pads. Tie up with the referee hold and insert the right arm to his bicep. As this happens drop the left wrist and lift the elbow. Take a step back and lob the hooks.
3 drill.
The first part of the class was devoted to 3 drill. The basic roll with ne slight difference: the defences to the chop and backfist used punches. This helped to emphasise the forward motion and intent needed for the correct defence along the centreline. Martin also kept us alert of the need to full laps.
Martin then discussed the limitation of lap sau outside of the 3 drill in sparring or real world application. He had us work the 3 drill at a slower pace to emphasise feeling and reacting to the feel over what the eyes are seeing. If the lap is there take it, if not go forward with another technique. Point being don’t just lap as it is part of the drill. Moving on we had to alter the defence to the backfist by using a crushing energy to put their punch inside their own centreline thus making a regular outside gate lap useless, instead the piston punch was practised.
My interpretation of this aspect of the training tonight was the importance of the centreline. Martin talked about what we should strive to get the opponent to do if the guard is wing chun style (get them to separate the hands to open a gap) or a more western boxer style (get them to close the gap so we can control the arms and the fight better).
Backs against the wall.
There might be an occasion where in the ring or in the street where the opponent has their back against a structure meaning that we can’t drive forward. This is best illustrated in the recent fight between Fedor and Hendo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypkEKRHGt0I
Apply forward pressure in the clinch and at your own choosing disengage and throw 2 hooks. As Hendo shows, and luckily for Fedor, the 2 hooks of death just miss. We worked the concept through a short drill, firstly open hand and then on the pads. Tie up with the referee hold and insert the right arm to his bicep. As this happens drop the left wrist and lift the elbow. Take a step back and lob the hooks.
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Week 60
Dave said...
Z stepped up and took the class and did a great job as normal. I rocked up 30 minutes late as sweaty people were stripping themselves of pads. For me the class opened with working the number 1 and 2 punch. With attention being paid to the basics: footwork, balance, elbow position, finishing position, fist placement, economy of motion.
We then spent a significant amount of time on details in the grappling sets. Ironing out any creases.
Sparring was as last week. Sensible pace etc. Still need to be tighter and more disciplined with the shoulders.
Z stepped up and took the class and did a great job as normal. I rocked up 30 minutes late as sweaty people were stripping themselves of pads. For me the class opened with working the number 1 and 2 punch. With attention being paid to the basics: footwork, balance, elbow position, finishing position, fist placement, economy of motion.
We then spent a significant amount of time on details in the grappling sets. Ironing out any creases.
Sparring was as last week. Sensible pace etc. Still need to be tighter and more disciplined with the shoulders.
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Week 59
Warm up grappling sets but random delivery in order to get used to not working a prescribed patterned response.
Main focus of the class was looking at body shot attacks from the pak and lap entries.
Pad training: Working the basic set of the 3 combos. Interestingly Dave was throwing the head shot with the pads at the end of each set and this added some bob and weave practise to the pad training. A nice addition.
Sparring: Again my main focus of the blog entry as I feel this is where I make the most gains and losses. Tonight the pace was slower and much less chaotic. Every person I sparred with I felt less competition and ego in me as a driving force. I was able to practise footwork and hunting for elbow control. I even had a chance to work inside gate pak, elbow lap for head and arm triangle set up. I enjoyed it for the first time because i was practising and not fighting. It only took 59 sessions...
Main focus of the class was looking at body shot attacks from the pak and lap entries.
Pad training: Working the basic set of the 3 combos. Interestingly Dave was throwing the head shot with the pads at the end of each set and this added some bob and weave practise to the pad training. A nice addition.
Sparring: Again my main focus of the blog entry as I feel this is where I make the most gains and losses. Tonight the pace was slower and much less chaotic. Every person I sparred with I felt less competition and ego in me as a driving force. I was able to practise footwork and hunting for elbow control. I even had a chance to work inside gate pak, elbow lap for head and arm triangle set up. I enjoyed it for the first time because i was practising and not fighting. It only took 59 sessions...
Week 58
Warm up sets:
As last week the main focus of the class was looking at the concept of the immoveable elbow and working the counter to the plum clinch.
Sparring
I want to spend time talking about this aspect of the class as it where I made the most errors and thus have most to meditate on.
Firstly I did not apply the techniques learned in the class. Specifically the immoveable elbow. When the speed goes up then I forget the basics and just seek to clinch. Further problem is that I clinch with poor defence as I enter elbow range. Luckily only a few use elbows in sparring. Time to assume all use them. I must control the elbow on my way in. Or even avoid the clinch work and stay in punching range.
At the end of the sparring I was very tired. Interestingly Martin gave some tips on what not to do in sparring based on what he saw from everyone tonight.
Firstly face the punch. Sparring should be fairly controlled so if a hit to the face is received then is should be too traumatic. We need to be controlled in the fight and to be alert. Sparring is the time in which we can practise this internal focus as the punches are coming in.
Effort: All were too knackered at the end. We need to keep something in reserve so should we need to go to a higher gear, we have it. Sparring should be at a slower pace where we can practise and perfect, not point score and be dominated by ego. Therefore sparring is about developing timing and rhythm.
As last week the main focus of the class was looking at the concept of the immoveable elbow and working the counter to the plum clinch.
Sparring
I want to spend time talking about this aspect of the class as it where I made the most errors and thus have most to meditate on.
Firstly I did not apply the techniques learned in the class. Specifically the immoveable elbow. When the speed goes up then I forget the basics and just seek to clinch. Further problem is that I clinch with poor defence as I enter elbow range. Luckily only a few use elbows in sparring. Time to assume all use them. I must control the elbow on my way in. Or even avoid the clinch work and stay in punching range.
At the end of the sparring I was very tired. Interestingly Martin gave some tips on what not to do in sparring based on what he saw from everyone tonight.
Firstly face the punch. Sparring should be fairly controlled so if a hit to the face is received then is should be too traumatic. We need to be controlled in the fight and to be alert. Sparring is the time in which we can practise this internal focus as the punches are coming in.
Effort: All were too knackered at the end. We need to keep something in reserve so should we need to go to a higher gear, we have it. Sparring should be at a slower pace where we can practise and perfect, not point score and be dominated by ego. Therefore sparring is about developing timing and rhythm.
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Week 57
Spent a nice long time working the grappling warm up sets. Constantly being refined by Martin to iron out simple errors. I guess in the chaos of combat these simple errors can become big ones.
The main of the class was looking at the concept of the immoveable elbow and working the counter to the plum clinch.
The immoveable elbow concept was looked at the in-fight range as you give the opponent a long arm guard. Tight compact stance, fingers towards his eyes. Hopefully this will irk him somewhat and his instinct will be to swat to parry your arm in some way. As he hits the arm use the momentum to heel palm to the jaw/ear followed by a sinking (#6) hit to the lower ab/upper groin area.
Counter to the plum clinch. Was right in front of our eyes and Dave was the only one who had worked this out. By keeping the shoulders back and not extended, it prevents the arms being manipulated and used.
For entertainment and educational purposes:
rear triangle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPQF0mP5tOs
GSP single and double: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3PDlg7XbAc
The main of the class was looking at the concept of the immoveable elbow and working the counter to the plum clinch.
The immoveable elbow concept was looked at the in-fight range as you give the opponent a long arm guard. Tight compact stance, fingers towards his eyes. Hopefully this will irk him somewhat and his instinct will be to swat to parry your arm in some way. As he hits the arm use the momentum to heel palm to the jaw/ear followed by a sinking (#6) hit to the lower ab/upper groin area.
Counter to the plum clinch. Was right in front of our eyes and Dave was the only one who had worked this out. By keeping the shoulders back and not extended, it prevents the arms being manipulated and used.
For entertainment and educational purposes:
rear triangle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPQF0mP5tOs
GSP single and double: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3PDlg7XbAc
Friday, 1 July 2011
Week 56
3 drill.
Warming up with Trist. He was using a clever little shrug to elicit a reaction of his backfist attack.. Also his laps instead of going to my hips he has a slight pull towards himself. But I really enjoyed the fast and firmness of the drill.
Warm up sets: Does as it says on the tin. A short series of 3 sets that could be done either with focus mitts or without. It is probably better to use pads because of the impact training from set 3. The sets are to be performed in a very relaxed manner with not to much pressure as the philosophy for the sets is warm up not a hardcore session.
• Set 1: Headlock (posture up, extend arm to turn head and punch 3 times, lift their arm over your head). Plum clinch (head up and posture, hands in and control chin forcing head over hips, insert arms for plum clinch and knee. Ensure pressure from clinch does not lift with punch). Underhooks (Hips down and back, insert hands to hips to create distance, secure elbows and elbow strike).
• Set 2:Arm drag left and right, guillotine (posture up, turn into him, take further hip and hit to chin with the palm). Chicken wing (turn in to the hold with your back, turn back into him and hit).
• Set 3: Bust it high (1, 2, 3, 2), bust it low (1, 6, 3, 2) and bust it upper (1, 10, 3, 2)
Anti hooligan work:
• Arms out aggressive posture: Drop step and he encroaches the space and hit to the jaw. I was going sideways and not forward enough and thus losing power.
• Stiff straight arm and cocked right hand. Ignore the arm and only give it the slightest of touches and work around the arm with big hits.
Sparring:
Being way too defensive and way to clinch happy. Need to start looking at finding a balance between offensive defence and strong striking offence. I know I need to work on my off-lining footwork but this needs to be in with attacks.
So I intend in sparring to work on the following:
• Off lining footwork
• Don’t turn pose or duck.
• Attack with my body not my hands, begin by looking at elbow control and attack.
• Hybrid stance.
• Throw more quality shots as this gives them less time to settle.
Most importantly is that i need to maintain my discipline and use sparring as a tool for my growth and not a game. I have wasted too much time trying to grapple and clinch. Time to start being smart and not lazy or predicable.
Warming up with Trist. He was using a clever little shrug to elicit a reaction of his backfist attack.. Also his laps instead of going to my hips he has a slight pull towards himself. But I really enjoyed the fast and firmness of the drill.
Warm up sets: Does as it says on the tin. A short series of 3 sets that could be done either with focus mitts or without. It is probably better to use pads because of the impact training from set 3. The sets are to be performed in a very relaxed manner with not to much pressure as the philosophy for the sets is warm up not a hardcore session.
• Set 1: Headlock (posture up, extend arm to turn head and punch 3 times, lift their arm over your head). Plum clinch (head up and posture, hands in and control chin forcing head over hips, insert arms for plum clinch and knee. Ensure pressure from clinch does not lift with punch). Underhooks (Hips down and back, insert hands to hips to create distance, secure elbows and elbow strike).
• Set 2:Arm drag left and right, guillotine (posture up, turn into him, take further hip and hit to chin with the palm). Chicken wing (turn in to the hold with your back, turn back into him and hit).
• Set 3: Bust it high (1, 2, 3, 2), bust it low (1, 6, 3, 2) and bust it upper (1, 10, 3, 2)
Anti hooligan work:
• Arms out aggressive posture: Drop step and he encroaches the space and hit to the jaw. I was going sideways and not forward enough and thus losing power.
• Stiff straight arm and cocked right hand. Ignore the arm and only give it the slightest of touches and work around the arm with big hits.
Sparring:
Being way too defensive and way to clinch happy. Need to start looking at finding a balance between offensive defence and strong striking offence. I know I need to work on my off-lining footwork but this needs to be in with attacks.
So I intend in sparring to work on the following:
• Off lining footwork
• Don’t turn pose or duck.
• Attack with my body not my hands, begin by looking at elbow control and attack.
• Hybrid stance.
• Throw more quality shots as this gives them less time to settle.
Most importantly is that i need to maintain my discipline and use sparring as a tool for my growth and not a game. I have wasted too much time trying to grapple and clinch. Time to start being smart and not lazy or predicable.
Monday, 20 June 2011
Week 55
3 drill
Entries using inside gate pak sau.
Pad circuit:
A 5 station 2minute with 15 seconds rest. Seems like a long time since the last time we did this. The rounds were
• 1, 2, 3, 2
• 1, 2, 1, 14
• 1, 10, 3, 2
• 1, 6, 3, 2
• 1, 2, 7, 3, 2
It was very tough on the last round as I was losing form due to fatigue. My diaphragm was friggin killing me. I also had the pleasure of using Stable’s pads that be new and thus stained the backs of my hands so they now look like they belong to a miner.
Sparring:
It seems so long since we have sparred and in that time I have lost all self discipline. Defence was shocking, attacks were random with no intention. I need to go back and look through my notes and re-establish my focus for sparring and stick to it. Play my own game not match those who are in front of me. I know there are many things I use sparring for, primarily pain and fear management but I must use it by being smart. But my dilemma is what is sparring for? I know it is to work techniques against a non compliant opponent but at times my ego forgets this and becomes fixed on match fighting. Perhaps there is too much thinking about what is and what is not. Back to the drawing board and back to the beginning.
Entries using inside gate pak sau.
Pad circuit:
A 5 station 2minute with 15 seconds rest. Seems like a long time since the last time we did this. The rounds were
• 1, 2, 3, 2
• 1, 2, 1, 14
• 1, 10, 3, 2
• 1, 6, 3, 2
• 1, 2, 7, 3, 2
It was very tough on the last round as I was losing form due to fatigue. My diaphragm was friggin killing me. I also had the pleasure of using Stable’s pads that be new and thus stained the backs of my hands so they now look like they belong to a miner.
Sparring:
It seems so long since we have sparred and in that time I have lost all self discipline. Defence was shocking, attacks were random with no intention. I need to go back and look through my notes and re-establish my focus for sparring and stick to it. Play my own game not match those who are in front of me. I know there are many things I use sparring for, primarily pain and fear management but I must use it by being smart. But my dilemma is what is sparring for? I know it is to work techniques against a non compliant opponent but at times my ego forgets this and becomes fixed on match fighting. Perhaps there is too much thinking about what is and what is not. Back to the drawing board and back to the beginning.
Saturday, 18 June 2011
Week 54
3 drill detail.
From the backfist they can apply a short pak and hit. The counter to this is to drop the elbow and circle upwards in the centre which will enable you to do a short lap and hit. They key for me was getting the elbow dropped into the centre, my mistake was using the elbow as the pivot point from their attack. This requires far too much effort.
X-trap:
The best way to set this up is when doing the backfist lap, drag their arm far across their centre, then lap the defence to the backfist down to their hip. This will provide lots of torque and off balancing in their body then the X-trap can be applied much more effectively.
Escape:
Simply lift and bend the elbows. Not the shoulders. The point for me of this is that at some point they are going to release energy so they can hit as from this position you can still attack with the head if desired.
Counter to the escape is to simply release as they will bring a hand up to defend the impending attack, dive in with a snatch attack and hit.
Other attacks open when applying the X-trap are body shots to the ribs after you slip off and cover. Due to the range, elbows are also an option.
Headlock defence:
Posture up and palm across their face. If contact is felt on the back of the head or neck, it is good practise to not curl into a ball as this will ensure your rapid demise.
A.D.M. (Am drag maintenance) Reps, reps and more reps of the main 4.
The Whizzer:
This is the counter to double underhooks with lots of forward energy. This will not work if they have the hands clasped. It is for when they have got past your sprawl defence. Using the crook of your arm hook it tightly around their underhook and shrug throw them in the direction their energy is going. You will need to turn yourself to help them on their way.
From the backfist they can apply a short pak and hit. The counter to this is to drop the elbow and circle upwards in the centre which will enable you to do a short lap and hit. They key for me was getting the elbow dropped into the centre, my mistake was using the elbow as the pivot point from their attack. This requires far too much effort.
X-trap:
The best way to set this up is when doing the backfist lap, drag their arm far across their centre, then lap the defence to the backfist down to their hip. This will provide lots of torque and off balancing in their body then the X-trap can be applied much more effectively.
Escape:
Simply lift and bend the elbows. Not the shoulders. The point for me of this is that at some point they are going to release energy so they can hit as from this position you can still attack with the head if desired.
Counter to the escape is to simply release as they will bring a hand up to defend the impending attack, dive in with a snatch attack and hit.
Other attacks open when applying the X-trap are body shots to the ribs after you slip off and cover. Due to the range, elbows are also an option.
Headlock defence:
Posture up and palm across their face. If contact is felt on the back of the head or neck, it is good practise to not curl into a ball as this will ensure your rapid demise.
A.D.M. (Am drag maintenance) Reps, reps and more reps of the main 4.
The Whizzer:
This is the counter to double underhooks with lots of forward energy. This will not work if they have the hands clasped. It is for when they have got past your sprawl defence. Using the crook of your arm hook it tightly around their underhook and shrug throw them in the direction their energy is going. You will need to turn yourself to help them on their way.
Saturday, 4 June 2011
Week 53
We worked the arm drag series from last week to act as a refresher and reinforce. We were extended by giving our partners different energies and they have to apply the correct arm drag. No point fighting energy with energy. If they give it to us then we must use it to our advantage, This led into the striking options utilising arm drags. As you saw from the video posted last week, usually arm drags lead to grappling stage contact and control. This can be standing as well as looking for takedowns and floor work. Only if the surface and situation permits it. We do not want to injure ourselves going to the ground nor tie up with another to enable their mates to practise their footy skills on our heads.
Arm drag 1: (Pak and punch, arm drag) simply can’t remember. My gut says hit through the centre when elbow control is got...
Arm drag 2: (Pak and punch, inside gate lap) Funky side step thingy. Did not like it so refuse to talk about it.
Arm drag 3: (Pak and punch, roll over) Instead of going for the arm drag look to get the Thai neck clinch. Some key tips are to squeeze the elbows together and thus clamping the head. A most uncomfortable position to find yourself in. In terms of the hand grip the best thing I can liken it to is the butterfly shadow silhouette you make with your hands. When clinching ensure the lower wrist is under and in contact with the upper wrist. From head control, knees, knees and more knees.
Arm drag 4: (Pak and punch, wrist then elbow control and shrug) there were several options we studied. 1. Maintain wrist control and hit through the centre with the left palm. 2. Simply lift off wrist control and hit with elbow. 3. Charge in with an elbow using explosive footwork.
Arm drag 1: (Pak and punch, arm drag) simply can’t remember. My gut says hit through the centre when elbow control is got...
Arm drag 2: (Pak and punch, inside gate lap) Funky side step thingy. Did not like it so refuse to talk about it.
Arm drag 3: (Pak and punch, roll over) Instead of going for the arm drag look to get the Thai neck clinch. Some key tips are to squeeze the elbows together and thus clamping the head. A most uncomfortable position to find yourself in. In terms of the hand grip the best thing I can liken it to is the butterfly shadow silhouette you make with your hands. When clinching ensure the lower wrist is under and in contact with the upper wrist. From head control, knees, knees and more knees.
Arm drag 4: (Pak and punch, wrist then elbow control and shrug) there were several options we studied. 1. Maintain wrist control and hit through the centre with the left palm. 2. Simply lift off wrist control and hit with elbow. 3. Charge in with an elbow using explosive footwork.
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Week 52
Very busy session tonight.
Tristan took the first part of class before Martin rocked up and we started off with a 3 drill warm up. Primary theme was relaxing on defences and exploding forward on attacks with footwork. The defender needed to look to off-line and absorb.
Arm drag series. Revision from the 4 core arm drags from last week then looked at putting the RNC on the end of it. The problem is that the likelihood of getting that choke on is most unlikely as they will turn back into to you. This leaves you with 2 choices.
1: The flying choke whereby you come around the other side of the arm drag.
2: Thai plum.
Here is a quick video about how to get the basic grip coupled with a knee attack drill.
http://youtu.be/9v31lu_QG2M
From the Thai plum, keep his structure broken down then attack with 2 knees to the groins followed by a big knee to the skull.
The problem of arm drags for us is that we are entering elbow range of our opponent so be aware.
Here is an interesting Catch video about arm drags. It is worth watching as there are some similarities between the wing chun arm drag and those of the Shooters.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLoOX58AE9g
So we get caught in the Thai plum, what do we do to escape?
Well one way is this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TZEtxZz6Wg
The technique we were rolling was similar to above in terms of posture, but we need to make sure we disrupt their balance and keep them unable to settle into the clinch. Strong structural posture and palms to his chin and get his head moving back over his hips and do the regular punching footwork as you drive him back. This will ensure great structure for you and impaired balance for him.
Bail out arm drag: Perform the initial arm drag from the punch entry or the pak and hit entry, clasp the elbow as if going for the arm drag then whip back across their centre and hit to the jaw as you turn him into the good news.
REMEMBER: Our core method and concept is the punch so we should always be looking for opportunities to hit or make opportunities for striking.
A good example of the above is using the cheeky method from the arm drag. Look for the entry to arm drag and as soon as contact is made with the elbow, drive forward hitting the jaw.
Pad training: Solo punches against the pad in sets of 10 each one getting harder and with greater intensity. Load the legs, set the arm. The angle of my forearms were slightly inward and not aligned to the pads. Martin re-aligned the arm angle, it was ever so slight yet significant. Hitting the pad now was denser and simply more efficient and effective.
Heel palm uppercut: This is needed as we need to protect the hand when we can't hit and connect with the bottom 3 knuckles. As above in working sets of 10 with increasing intensity.
Very deep session tonight and rather tremendous.
Tristan took the first part of class before Martin rocked up and we started off with a 3 drill warm up. Primary theme was relaxing on defences and exploding forward on attacks with footwork. The defender needed to look to off-line and absorb.
Arm drag series. Revision from the 4 core arm drags from last week then looked at putting the RNC on the end of it. The problem is that the likelihood of getting that choke on is most unlikely as they will turn back into to you. This leaves you with 2 choices.
1: The flying choke whereby you come around the other side of the arm drag.
2: Thai plum.
Here is a quick video about how to get the basic grip coupled with a knee attack drill.
http://youtu.be/9v31lu_QG2M
From the Thai plum, keep his structure broken down then attack with 2 knees to the groins followed by a big knee to the skull.
The problem of arm drags for us is that we are entering elbow range of our opponent so be aware.
Here is an interesting Catch video about arm drags. It is worth watching as there are some similarities between the wing chun arm drag and those of the Shooters.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLoOX58AE9g
So we get caught in the Thai plum, what do we do to escape?
Well one way is this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TZEtxZz6Wg
The technique we were rolling was similar to above in terms of posture, but we need to make sure we disrupt their balance and keep them unable to settle into the clinch. Strong structural posture and palms to his chin and get his head moving back over his hips and do the regular punching footwork as you drive him back. This will ensure great structure for you and impaired balance for him.
Bail out arm drag: Perform the initial arm drag from the punch entry or the pak and hit entry, clasp the elbow as if going for the arm drag then whip back across their centre and hit to the jaw as you turn him into the good news.
REMEMBER: Our core method and concept is the punch so we should always be looking for opportunities to hit or make opportunities for striking.
A good example of the above is using the cheeky method from the arm drag. Look for the entry to arm drag and as soon as contact is made with the elbow, drive forward hitting the jaw.
Pad training: Solo punches against the pad in sets of 10 each one getting harder and with greater intensity. Load the legs, set the arm. The angle of my forearms were slightly inward and not aligned to the pads. Martin re-aligned the arm angle, it was ever so slight yet significant. Hitting the pad now was denser and simply more efficient and effective.
Heel palm uppercut: This is needed as we need to protect the hand when we can't hit and connect with the bottom 3 knuckles. As above in working sets of 10 with increasing intensity.
Very deep session tonight and rather tremendous.
Monday, 16 May 2011
Week 51
The arm drag series, all of a pak and punch entry.
1. Open the arms and arm drag, heavy body shot then head shot.
2. If presenting strong forward energy use an inside gate lap, then arm drag.
3. If multi directional, use the roll over but make sure you give yourself enough space and do not collapse the wrist in the fold near your own chest.
4. The messy one, take wrist control by moving his arm across his centre, arm parallel to his then place your elbow past his. Drop your elbow but keep pressure and control on his arm and lift the elbow to shrug and move him.
5. Cheeky one; as above with initial control but drop down and hit to the groin, use the motion of the strike to come up and elbow the head.
1. Open the arms and arm drag, heavy body shot then head shot.
2. If presenting strong forward energy use an inside gate lap, then arm drag.
3. If multi directional, use the roll over but make sure you give yourself enough space and do not collapse the wrist in the fold near your own chest.
4. The messy one, take wrist control by moving his arm across his centre, arm parallel to his then place your elbow past his. Drop your elbow but keep pressure and control on his arm and lift the elbow to shrug and move him.
5. Cheeky one; as above with initial control but drop down and hit to the groin, use the motion of the strike to come up and elbow the head.
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Week 50
Last class at the scout hut. Main proportion of the evening was spent on the pads firstly wing chun mechanics then western boxing. As previously stated the boxing is an add on and to employed at longer range. If the wing chun punch is out of range, box and inside range wing chun. Martin is trying to seamlessly integrate the two systems to evolve a hybrid style of combat efficiency, aggression and practicality.
Slip A: left punch, right punch, slip right, right, left hook, right.
Slip B: left, slip left, right, hook, right
Bust it: lead left, right, left hook, right
Pow pow: lead left, left hook, right
Ensure discipline in the elbows with the boxing, there is a tendency for them to drop. The wrist and elbow are on the same plane parallel to the floor.
In addition, when boxing point the shoulder at the target behind the punch.
Slip A: left punch, right punch, slip right, right, left hook, right.
Slip B: left, slip left, right, hook, right
Bust it: lead left, right, left hook, right
Pow pow: lead left, left hook, right
Ensure discipline in the elbows with the boxing, there is a tendency for them to drop. The wrist and elbow are on the same plane parallel to the floor.
In addition, when boxing point the shoulder at the target behind the punch.
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Week 49
Boxing:
Longer range weapons. It makes sense to have these as an add on and not be hamstrung by a system. We might need these as an entry to close the gap to employ our wing chun punches. The nice attribute of the jab and cross is the protection it offers the chin
We looked at the mechanics of the jab, cross and hook. Aim to hit with the bottom 3 knuckles as this is our bread and butter with the WC punches.
Jab: Point the shoulder into the punch and along the arm, elbow same height as the wrist, come slightly on to the ball of the lead foot as this will add some rotational torque to the punch.
Cross: Very similar to the jab really in terms of mechanics regarding the shoulder and the elbow. I was being too square so asked Martin to actually move my torso into the correct position for the cross so I could feel it. I am primarily a kinaesthetic learner so need this.
Hook: Avoid dropping the hand down to develop rotational power. Lift the elbow parallel to the wrist, drive the hip, spine and shoulder as an integrated unit. The hands should move very little as it all come from the body. To clarify, don’t throw the hook as you will over extend and only be using the arm. Less is more. This was as an important revelation as changing my golf swing years ago when told by a scratch player, turn don’t lift. The weight of a punch using the body (74kg) over the weight of an arm (6kg) is a no brainer.
Slip A – Jab, cross, slip left, cross, hook cross. When working on the pads the emphasis should be on soft but fully extended punches. Have the self discipline, speed can come later. It is more important to have correct technique. It is vital to make all the punches as small and tight as possible. No need to waste any energy or movement, in addition we must avoid telegraphing of our attacks and intentions.
Why to use the hook punch and the heel palm and the problems with each one.
The hook is used at very close range, elbow distance in fact. It is used when you need to clear their arm, using the heel palm at close distance will get jammed. The heel hook palm is used from slightly further away as the elbow is slightly lower on this technique. If you have the same elbow positioning for the heel palm as the hook then you will find your shoulder limiting your range of movement.
3 drill:
My question tonight was what to do against the strong energy of someone who is not giving laps. The solution Martin gave me was to palm out, push down and lap at the end. For this I am using more chest and less triceps. Bigger muscles for the same job, makes sense. So I need to work this as it is new to me. I am told this can’t be done at speed.
Grip breaks:
Against multi directional – this grip is not too tight but the intention of the gripper is to quickly hit off and regain wrist control. Explode elbow up with your hand as if cupping your ear and turn torso out then hack down on the neck and jaw line. We also learned that you can have double wrist control and use the same technique to attack.
A really great session tonight. I found the new information in terms of boxing fascinating and humbling. I thought I could throw boxing punches and thankfully I now do so need to get on with working on those techniques
Longer range weapons. It makes sense to have these as an add on and not be hamstrung by a system. We might need these as an entry to close the gap to employ our wing chun punches. The nice attribute of the jab and cross is the protection it offers the chin
We looked at the mechanics of the jab, cross and hook. Aim to hit with the bottom 3 knuckles as this is our bread and butter with the WC punches.
Jab: Point the shoulder into the punch and along the arm, elbow same height as the wrist, come slightly on to the ball of the lead foot as this will add some rotational torque to the punch.
Cross: Very similar to the jab really in terms of mechanics regarding the shoulder and the elbow. I was being too square so asked Martin to actually move my torso into the correct position for the cross so I could feel it. I am primarily a kinaesthetic learner so need this.
Hook: Avoid dropping the hand down to develop rotational power. Lift the elbow parallel to the wrist, drive the hip, spine and shoulder as an integrated unit. The hands should move very little as it all come from the body. To clarify, don’t throw the hook as you will over extend and only be using the arm. Less is more. This was as an important revelation as changing my golf swing years ago when told by a scratch player, turn don’t lift. The weight of a punch using the body (74kg) over the weight of an arm (6kg) is a no brainer.
Slip A – Jab, cross, slip left, cross, hook cross. When working on the pads the emphasis should be on soft but fully extended punches. Have the self discipline, speed can come later. It is more important to have correct technique. It is vital to make all the punches as small and tight as possible. No need to waste any energy or movement, in addition we must avoid telegraphing of our attacks and intentions.
Why to use the hook punch and the heel palm and the problems with each one.
The hook is used at very close range, elbow distance in fact. It is used when you need to clear their arm, using the heel palm at close distance will get jammed. The heel hook palm is used from slightly further away as the elbow is slightly lower on this technique. If you have the same elbow positioning for the heel palm as the hook then you will find your shoulder limiting your range of movement.
3 drill:
My question tonight was what to do against the strong energy of someone who is not giving laps. The solution Martin gave me was to palm out, push down and lap at the end. For this I am using more chest and less triceps. Bigger muscles for the same job, makes sense. So I need to work this as it is new to me. I am told this can’t be done at speed.
Grip breaks:
Against multi directional – this grip is not too tight but the intention of the gripper is to quickly hit off and regain wrist control. Explode elbow up with your hand as if cupping your ear and turn torso out then hack down on the neck and jaw line. We also learned that you can have double wrist control and use the same technique to attack.
A really great session tonight. I found the new information in terms of boxing fascinating and humbling. I thought I could throw boxing punches and thankfully I now do so need to get on with working on those techniques
Saturday, 23 April 2011
Week 48
In the car park:
There were no keys so we went all Ray Mears and trained outside.
The topics covered were punching, footwork and punching, lat sau, grip breaks – low, high and double, first and second form. But interestingly was the terrain and how it made me look at the floor quite a lot as it was not a clean and smooth surface. For me I need to practise punching with footwork on a variety of surfaces. It taught me that I need to develop how I move myself more effectively. I guess I have been cheating in the hall or is it that the hall has been cheating us?
I know think we should train on a variety of floors more often than not. I guess this will be a pain in the sphincter organisationally so might have to explore this on my own.
There were no keys so we went all Ray Mears and trained outside.
The topics covered were punching, footwork and punching, lat sau, grip breaks – low, high and double, first and second form. But interestingly was the terrain and how it made me look at the floor quite a lot as it was not a clean and smooth surface. For me I need to practise punching with footwork on a variety of surfaces. It taught me that I need to develop how I move myself more effectively. I guess I have been cheating in the hall or is it that the hall has been cheating us?
I know think we should train on a variety of floors more often than not. I guess this will be a pain in the sphincter organisationally so might have to explore this on my own.
Week 47
Tristan’s class.
Attacks with pak sau.
Need some serious meditation to search within myself as it was almost 2 weeks ago and much offal has passed through my brain since then. Lesson learned is to write blog posts within 48 hours of the class.
Attacks with pak sau.
Need some serious meditation to search within myself as it was almost 2 weeks ago and much offal has passed through my brain since then. Lesson learned is to write blog posts within 48 hours of the class.
Friday, 8 April 2011
Week 46
Pad training:
Focussing only on the numbers 1-2-3-4 and any combo of each. In addition the feeder was crashing the range meaning this also became great off-lining footwork development. The feeder was also stepping back for number 1 and 2 so you have to have strong and explosive forward footwork to close the distance, in balance with power.
The training then evolved into the corkscrew body mechanics when employing the hook attacks. When seen in its entirety the whole body is moving. The descending corkscrew is amassing the energy and momentum for the attack. We worked these of the 1-2, the feeder then simulates the punch attack, you corkscrew and attack with a 3-2. The other technique started with 1-2-1, then corkscrew finishing with 3-2-3.
Eye gouge against double under hooks:
You have seized the gold medal pre-suplex position of double underhooks, as he goes to gouge the eye ball, shrug off and forward and attack with a 2-3-2.
This training and use of body mechanics is very modern and un-wing chun in that it looks more like Western Boxing. But in terms of concepts, the body mechanics are very compact and efficient and for me these are always at the forefront of my own martial development.
Standing grappling:
The gis were donned to enable is to work against 3 primary standing grappling attacks; the pull forward, pull to the side and push back whilst being grabbed at the shoulder. The problem this presents for us as Wing Chunners is we are relying on control and the range (of our punches). When being violently ragged around these internal safety nets disappear. So we must modify and adapt rather than being too small minded to think pure Wing Chun solves all problems. Only those who have never tested their concepts and techniques will say this. We know we need to adapt because being KO’d is what will happen and we need to go to work tomorrow looking handsome and respectful. Firstly, we need to be sensitive to the energy being given to us. Go with the pushes and pulls. Do this by moving the feet. Avoid moving the body then the feet as this will rapidly result in you swaying like a palm tree in a hurricane. Good positive posture and structure and if the range is too far for us, throw a long cross punch. This will close the distance and give him something else to think about.
Instead of being mucked up by this chaos, let it happen, when based, throw the punches. For the hard push away, you need to shrug under the grab to give you decent range. A final point worth noting is that through experience (Martin’s), if you are being held very tight, it is likely that his punches will not have the same energy and power as the grab. There must be some trade off for it to work for him. Doing both should not happen.
3 drill:
Lap, lap and practise the lap. Getting straighter, getting tighter but increasing in tension. Must find a happy medium of speed, technique and relaxation. Perhaps in 15 years. The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step a wise man from ancient China once said. Well for me, a few steps have been taken and glancing over my shoulder I can see where I started. Long, long way to go but the path is hard, challenging but always learning and getting better.
Focussing only on the numbers 1-2-3-4 and any combo of each. In addition the feeder was crashing the range meaning this also became great off-lining footwork development. The feeder was also stepping back for number 1 and 2 so you have to have strong and explosive forward footwork to close the distance, in balance with power.
The training then evolved into the corkscrew body mechanics when employing the hook attacks. When seen in its entirety the whole body is moving. The descending corkscrew is amassing the energy and momentum for the attack. We worked these of the 1-2, the feeder then simulates the punch attack, you corkscrew and attack with a 3-2. The other technique started with 1-2-1, then corkscrew finishing with 3-2-3.
Eye gouge against double under hooks:
You have seized the gold medal pre-suplex position of double underhooks, as he goes to gouge the eye ball, shrug off and forward and attack with a 2-3-2.
This training and use of body mechanics is very modern and un-wing chun in that it looks more like Western Boxing. But in terms of concepts, the body mechanics are very compact and efficient and for me these are always at the forefront of my own martial development.
Standing grappling:
The gis were donned to enable is to work against 3 primary standing grappling attacks; the pull forward, pull to the side and push back whilst being grabbed at the shoulder. The problem this presents for us as Wing Chunners is we are relying on control and the range (of our punches). When being violently ragged around these internal safety nets disappear. So we must modify and adapt rather than being too small minded to think pure Wing Chun solves all problems. Only those who have never tested their concepts and techniques will say this. We know we need to adapt because being KO’d is what will happen and we need to go to work tomorrow looking handsome and respectful. Firstly, we need to be sensitive to the energy being given to us. Go with the pushes and pulls. Do this by moving the feet. Avoid moving the body then the feet as this will rapidly result in you swaying like a palm tree in a hurricane. Good positive posture and structure and if the range is too far for us, throw a long cross punch. This will close the distance and give him something else to think about.
Instead of being mucked up by this chaos, let it happen, when based, throw the punches. For the hard push away, you need to shrug under the grab to give you decent range. A final point worth noting is that through experience (Martin’s), if you are being held very tight, it is likely that his punches will not have the same energy and power as the grab. There must be some trade off for it to work for him. Doing both should not happen.
3 drill:
Lap, lap and practise the lap. Getting straighter, getting tighter but increasing in tension. Must find a happy medium of speed, technique and relaxation. Perhaps in 15 years. The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step a wise man from ancient China once said. Well for me, a few steps have been taken and glancing over my shoulder I can see where I started. Long, long way to go but the path is hard, challenging but always learning and getting better.
Sunday, 3 April 2011
Week 45
Brief but most beneficial.
Popped to training for 45 minutes. The focus of the lesson was on the use on inside gate pak sau to their lead hand. Many of the techniques also included use of lap and punch which was most invaluable practise for me. Whilst full confidence is not restored, it has grown from the depressive lows of last week. This concept of probing their lead hand has also given me some ideas to tag onto my mindset for sparring.
I also learned and understood the differences between pak sau and lap sau...It is to do with where your motion is in reference to yourself. Usually pak goes along or across your center whereas lap are on the outside gate of your own centre. Confused?
Technique sequences included:
1: Inisde gate pak sau, chop forward off the same arm, lap and back fist, repeaters.
2: IGPS - hint at controlling their rear hand and throw the big H-bomb.
3: As number 1, if block, high lap, snake other hand through to back to neck for head control, as they bend over for you, knee to the chops.
Recently I watching an Eddie Bravo video where in competition he consciously worked to pull off and perfect a specific technique. For him it was the Twister. For me is it going to continue to be:
1: Hybrid stance, tight, compact and light.
2: Attack at end of the attack.
3: Off lining footwork.
4: Close the gap when in contact range.
5: Control and no control. I think this is do the opposite of what they want to do.
Popped to training for 45 minutes. The focus of the lesson was on the use on inside gate pak sau to their lead hand. Many of the techniques also included use of lap and punch which was most invaluable practise for me. Whilst full confidence is not restored, it has grown from the depressive lows of last week. This concept of probing their lead hand has also given me some ideas to tag onto my mindset for sparring.
I also learned and understood the differences between pak sau and lap sau...It is to do with where your motion is in reference to yourself. Usually pak goes along or across your center whereas lap are on the outside gate of your own centre. Confused?
Technique sequences included:
1: Inisde gate pak sau, chop forward off the same arm, lap and back fist, repeaters.
2: IGPS - hint at controlling their rear hand and throw the big H-bomb.
3: As number 1, if block, high lap, snake other hand through to back to neck for head control, as they bend over for you, knee to the chops.
Recently I watching an Eddie Bravo video where in competition he consciously worked to pull off and perfect a specific technique. For him it was the Twister. For me is it going to continue to be:
1: Hybrid stance, tight, compact and light.
2: Attack at end of the attack.
3: Off lining footwork.
4: Close the gap when in contact range.
5: Control and no control. I think this is do the opposite of what they want to do.
Week 44
Began with lots of 3 drill, changing partners lots. It is always fun working with a wide range of energies and levels of relaxation and tension. I have found that when I perceive tension I seem to make such more effort and tired much quicker. I found out tonight that I have slim to no confidence in my lap sau with the left hand. Still pulling towards my hip and not pinning towards theirs, or across their centre as I should be. Time for more visualisation practise.
I did feel like I have taken a big backwards step with 3 drill and am very concerned that this is what let me down in the level 2 grading and little progress has been made.
Lat sau felt a lot better in terms of confidence. I cant emphasise enough that for me I need to be totally focussed on every single punch. As soon as talking with my partner starts, the quality nose dives faster than a falcon on its prey.
Sparring:
Well I have not done this since before the grading, about 8 weeks ago now. We only had about a minute with each partner so I felt unsettled in the quick changes. Of course in reality I should be ready to go and have my own internal rhythm set with every new partner. Really enjoyed it though.
I did feel like I have taken a big backwards step with 3 drill and am very concerned that this is what let me down in the level 2 grading and little progress has been made.
Lat sau felt a lot better in terms of confidence. I cant emphasise enough that for me I need to be totally focussed on every single punch. As soon as talking with my partner starts, the quality nose dives faster than a falcon on its prey.
Sparring:
Well I have not done this since before the grading, about 8 weeks ago now. We only had about a minute with each partner so I felt unsettled in the quick changes. Of course in reality I should be ready to go and have my own internal rhythm set with every new partner. Really enjoyed it though.
Friday, 18 March 2011
Week 43
3 drill:
Good quality practise. Opened with ensuring full laps, then onto piston punch. My error was that I always went to the outside of the pak sau. Of course if the centre is clear the come inside the pak sau. As always control their structure and centre with a strong lap. Finally we went onto inside/outside gate lap. Just great to have time to develop the sense of feel.
Shoulder control:
By shoulder control I mean that the aggressor has tight hold of your shoulder clothing to ensure the control he desires.
Got warmed up with this feeling by pulling each other, 1 for 1. When being pulled and ragged, as the foot lands throw the punch. We then investigated how to move the shoulder when it is being held. Shrugs and circles. A common mistake when throwing punches was not being square enough with the hips and thus the shoulders. It is vital that you are as square and balanced as possible when throwing punches.
The lights went out for a few rounds. The point was that Martin said most of this in the fog of combat will be primarily on touch and feel. I was more concerned about being bumped into the walls than being lumped in the chops by Z. We did both variation of hitting empty hand and on the pads.
Wrestlers pummel:
Looked at several ways to disengage with offensive intent.
Lead shoulder butt/shrug. Don't twist, keep weight balanced, don't lean back. As soon as you have dis-engaged and in balance, start throwing hits to the chops.
If they are giving lots and lots of forward energy, let it come and 'bowl' the arm and thus them over and into their void.
I really enjoyed tonight as during the standing grappling I was wearing a gi top as I did not want to ruin my fine threads. I have not donned a gi since I finished BJJ. In the olden days of my training I would have had some kind of mental issue and binned training and gone back to BJJ. On Thursday night I had no desire to walk that path. So I am looking forward again to slipping the gi on and grappling at the WWCA.
Good quality practise. Opened with ensuring full laps, then onto piston punch. My error was that I always went to the outside of the pak sau. Of course if the centre is clear the come inside the pak sau. As always control their structure and centre with a strong lap. Finally we went onto inside/outside gate lap. Just great to have time to develop the sense of feel.
Shoulder control:
By shoulder control I mean that the aggressor has tight hold of your shoulder clothing to ensure the control he desires.
Got warmed up with this feeling by pulling each other, 1 for 1. When being pulled and ragged, as the foot lands throw the punch. We then investigated how to move the shoulder when it is being held. Shrugs and circles. A common mistake when throwing punches was not being square enough with the hips and thus the shoulders. It is vital that you are as square and balanced as possible when throwing punches.
The lights went out for a few rounds. The point was that Martin said most of this in the fog of combat will be primarily on touch and feel. I was more concerned about being bumped into the walls than being lumped in the chops by Z. We did both variation of hitting empty hand and on the pads.
Wrestlers pummel:
Looked at several ways to disengage with offensive intent.
Lead shoulder butt/shrug. Don't twist, keep weight balanced, don't lean back. As soon as you have dis-engaged and in balance, start throwing hits to the chops.
If they are giving lots and lots of forward energy, let it come and 'bowl' the arm and thus them over and into their void.
I really enjoyed tonight as during the standing grappling I was wearing a gi top as I did not want to ruin my fine threads. I have not donned a gi since I finished BJJ. In the olden days of my training I would have had some kind of mental issue and binned training and gone back to BJJ. On Thursday night I had no desire to walk that path. So I am looking forward again to slipping the gi on and grappling at the WWCA.
Saturday, 12 March 2011
Week 42
Lat sau:
More practise on the basic roll with changes and defending the cross punch. A new detail was that Martin mentioned the triangle with the apex at the tip of the chin sloping down to the shoulders. This is because the movements for punches are started here, so eyes on the chin.
Pad training:
Warmed up by hitting with a pattern of 1, 1-2, 1-2-1, 1-2-1-2 then start the pattern again. The learning points were to be in balance at the end of each sequence and to have full extension of each punch.
From the wrestlers pummel, push off and disengage then hit the pads with a 2-3-2.
From a position of being roughly controlled and held by the shoulder we worked on being able to hit whilst off balance. This was tough and awkward and hopefully something we will be doing again next week. I am going to take down my gi jackets so the attacker won’t ruin our fine silk garments,
Simplicity and efficiency:
One important point made by Martin tonight was when hitting with repeaters, keep doing it. Why change to another move or technique if the one you are using is working. Surely this is a wing chun concept that too easily overlooked. Too often do you see videos on YouTube of people doing a load of different consecutive moves because it looks good. The videos of the club’s Facebook page of Emin Boztepe highlight this point. His keep flying in with a punch to the face, no matter what technique his opponent throws. The most simple and efficient technique appears to be the most effective.
Linked to this footwork. Martin stated that we should be very wary of people that teach defences against punches where the first move is to move the feet then the hands. It is too slow, too impractical but it looks good, it looks easy and it looks clean. It also probably very ego massaging. The following quote from Bruce Lee highlights this.
‘The quality of a man’s technique depends on his footwork, for one cannot use his hands or kicks efficiently until his feet have put him in the desired position. If a man is slow on his feet, then he will be slow with his punches and kicks. Mobility and speed of footwork precede speed of kicks and punches’ p.142, Bruce Lee, Tao of JKD.
Watch the following video and you will see sharp and fast feet resulting in laser like hand work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB3eW0hfy0U
For me, my balance at the end of punches is worse than at the start, therefore, according to Martin, Bruce and Emin, my hands are less effective because of it. Footwork, footwork, footwork.
More practise on the basic roll with changes and defending the cross punch. A new detail was that Martin mentioned the triangle with the apex at the tip of the chin sloping down to the shoulders. This is because the movements for punches are started here, so eyes on the chin.
Pad training:
Warmed up by hitting with a pattern of 1, 1-2, 1-2-1, 1-2-1-2 then start the pattern again. The learning points were to be in balance at the end of each sequence and to have full extension of each punch.
From the wrestlers pummel, push off and disengage then hit the pads with a 2-3-2.
From a position of being roughly controlled and held by the shoulder we worked on being able to hit whilst off balance. This was tough and awkward and hopefully something we will be doing again next week. I am going to take down my gi jackets so the attacker won’t ruin our fine silk garments,
Simplicity and efficiency:
One important point made by Martin tonight was when hitting with repeaters, keep doing it. Why change to another move or technique if the one you are using is working. Surely this is a wing chun concept that too easily overlooked. Too often do you see videos on YouTube of people doing a load of different consecutive moves because it looks good. The videos of the club’s Facebook page of Emin Boztepe highlight this point. His keep flying in with a punch to the face, no matter what technique his opponent throws. The most simple and efficient technique appears to be the most effective.
Linked to this footwork. Martin stated that we should be very wary of people that teach defences against punches where the first move is to move the feet then the hands. It is too slow, too impractical but it looks good, it looks easy and it looks clean. It also probably very ego massaging. The following quote from Bruce Lee highlights this.
‘The quality of a man’s technique depends on his footwork, for one cannot use his hands or kicks efficiently until his feet have put him in the desired position. If a man is slow on his feet, then he will be slow with his punches and kicks. Mobility and speed of footwork precede speed of kicks and punches’ p.142, Bruce Lee, Tao of JKD.
Watch the following video and you will see sharp and fast feet resulting in laser like hand work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB3eW0hfy0U
For me, my balance at the end of punches is worse than at the start, therefore, according to Martin, Bruce and Emin, my hands are less effective because of it. Footwork, footwork, footwork.
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Solo Wing Chun workout
So in order to keep training and exercising fresh I have devised this to be done a few times a week, interlaced with a Spartan workout and a 90 minute power yoga session.
3 drill warm up
1 minute of front kicks each leg
60 seconds of 1-2-3-2 then 1-10-3-2
1 minute of side kicks each leg
60 seconds of 1-2-3-4 then 1-2-low hook- high hook-2
1 minute of knees
60 seconds of 1-6-3-2 then 1-2-1-14
1 minute of Thai kicks
Working entry techniques 1-7 x12 for each
1 minute of footwork
Pyramid set to 9
SNT
So give it a whirl.
3 drill warm up
1 minute of front kicks each leg
60 seconds of 1-2-3-2 then 1-10-3-2
1 minute of side kicks each leg
60 seconds of 1-2-3-4 then 1-2-low hook- high hook-2
1 minute of knees
60 seconds of 1-6-3-2 then 1-2-1-14
1 minute of Thai kicks
Working entry techniques 1-7 x12 for each
1 minute of footwork
Pyramid set to 9
SNT
So give it a whirl.
Monday, 7 March 2011
Week 41
3 drill detail.
As we are going to re-grade 2 in a few weeks Martin is working on our corrections. I now think that 3 drill is going to be my Achilles Heel. I seem to very bad in all the defences that are either chops or palm strikes.
But, correction detail.
Stay low and tight in the arms. I observed that when Martin rolls his elbows are very low and almost toughing. On reflection from the class and my own visualisation work that funky chicken would be an appropriate way to label my 3 drill. I am going to be getting an elastic band to discipline the elbow position in 3 drill. This might be why I am missing the defences to the open hand strikes. My range might be crap also.
Block and attack towards the person not the arms. When the change happens, the shoulders turn and this creates a big gap for the hit through the centre.
Strong laps. Goes without saying
On the piston punch, drive them backwards and repeat the piston. 2 days after training my left forearm was a purple mess thanks to the Ninja Slippers and his death chops. Perhaps I need to soften in someway?
Towards the end of the session we looked again at the Wrestlers Pummel. Same detail and drill as week 40. This week included an extra technique of on the change use a rising elbow to the chin followed by a elbow with the other arms. The simile is that of a tennis serve. Toss and hit.
Still very concerned about my 3 drill. Hopefully next session I will get a chance to implement my elastic band theory.
As we are going to re-grade 2 in a few weeks Martin is working on our corrections. I now think that 3 drill is going to be my Achilles Heel. I seem to very bad in all the defences that are either chops or palm strikes.
But, correction detail.
Stay low and tight in the arms. I observed that when Martin rolls his elbows are very low and almost toughing. On reflection from the class and my own visualisation work that funky chicken would be an appropriate way to label my 3 drill. I am going to be getting an elastic band to discipline the elbow position in 3 drill. This might be why I am missing the defences to the open hand strikes. My range might be crap also.
Block and attack towards the person not the arms. When the change happens, the shoulders turn and this creates a big gap for the hit through the centre.
Strong laps. Goes without saying
On the piston punch, drive them backwards and repeat the piston. 2 days after training my left forearm was a purple mess thanks to the Ninja Slippers and his death chops. Perhaps I need to soften in someway?
Towards the end of the session we looked again at the Wrestlers Pummel. Same detail and drill as week 40. This week included an extra technique of on the change use a rising elbow to the chin followed by a elbow with the other arms. The simile is that of a tennis serve. Toss and hit.
Still very concerned about my 3 drill. Hopefully next session I will get a chance to implement my elastic band theory.
Sunday, 27 February 2011
Week 40
Wrestlers pummel
Worked the basic roll ensuring good hips and structure. Both looked to take down each other through hip control. My thing to wotk on is to keep facing forwards with the face, I tend to turn as I bump in.
We also looked at throwing the elbow on the change and the arm drag.
Lat sau
So tonight started the making of corrections.
1. Headbutt the punch: When doing the cross defence I was leaving too much of a gap between face and shoulder so when seeing it come the trick is to nutt the punch. Of course the arm is in the way but this concept ensures a tight and effective defence.
2. Stick: Wait and feel, no need to go on the next count or beat. Feel it and the arm coming through to be high needs to start low. This will give you the centre and prevent getting boppped on the nose.
3. Tough stick: So when there are lots of changes going on, wait, wait, feel and take it when you are on the outside again. As the arm raises turn the shoulders to dominate the centre and take him off his centre.
Worked the basic roll ensuring good hips and structure. Both looked to take down each other through hip control. My thing to wotk on is to keep facing forwards with the face, I tend to turn as I bump in.
We also looked at throwing the elbow on the change and the arm drag.
Lat sau
So tonight started the making of corrections.
1. Headbutt the punch: When doing the cross defence I was leaving too much of a gap between face and shoulder so when seeing it come the trick is to nutt the punch. Of course the arm is in the way but this concept ensures a tight and effective defence.
2. Stick: Wait and feel, no need to go on the next count or beat. Feel it and the arm coming through to be high needs to start low. This will give you the centre and prevent getting boppped on the nose.
3. Tough stick: So when there are lots of changes going on, wait, wait, feel and take it when you are on the outside again. As the arm raises turn the shoulders to dominate the centre and take him off his centre.
Grade 1 and 2 notes
Grading Summary
Paul Caswell
Grade 1
Punches
Very Good form throughout. Correct fist alignment and maintained locked elbows throughout the whole test. Impressive.
Balance, Footwork and Posture.Good focus. Needs a little more drive from the backleg at times. Good posture but too high in stance. Maintained good guard. Feet coming together on offline.
Pre Fight
Good pre fight posture. Good power on the pads with no drawback before shot is thrown. Accurate on all shots. Watch weight after landing the punch.
3 Drill
Very high standard. Excellent chop forwards to initiate attacks. All Laps were full with a good grip and control with the exception on the Lap before initiating a change as the mindfulness on the Lap was lost. No back fist before changing. Very good form. Used small movements and stayed relaxed throughout.
Lat Sau
Giving gaps by pushing from the wrist rather than locking at the elbow. Remained relaxed and adjusted well on the change when the first attempt didn’t go to my face. Good footwork throughout. Lost centre line on the punch – started punching side to side rather than one fist over the top of the other.
Closing Comments
Fantastic technique, focus and power throughout the grade. Passed by a clear mile. I really enjoyed seeing you apply the concepts and you showed a great understanding of the style.
Grade 2
Swing Defence
Very Good. Moved in quickly and with correct distance judgement. Correct angle maintained. Defended successfully. Maintained balance after shot. Strong structure.
Destroying balance, posture and stance.
Watch weight distribution when pushing on partner. Still too high in stance. Shoulders not square when destroying partners stance. Demonstrated posture breaks, shoulder rotations, stance breaking and arm push/pulls.
Focus pads
Nice and crisp. Displayed good accuracy. Solid technique.
3 Drill
Good speed. Defences broke down at speed. No extension on laps at speed. Footwork needs work. Adjusted well when under pressure and offlined but a little slow to react. Inside/ outside lap reaction a little slow and occasionally incorrect. Poor Lap on piston punch (pulling into the body rather than extending towards me). Posture poor on hit through the centre (leaning sideways). Needs to watch being trapped on hit through the centre. Good pak awareness. Good shoulder alignment on defences. Needs minor adjustment to hit through the centre defence.
Lat Sau
Demonstrated good composure under pressure. Good footwork and posture. Turned the wrong way on the cross defence. No centre line on stick. Turned away on stick. Gaps on punch defence.
Pyramid 7
Good effort. Locked well. A little tired.
Closing Comments
Really good effort throughout. Lots to work on but know you are mindful of what adjustments are needed we will make sure that together we get you there. You have a good innate understanding of the style and I’m confident that through training and visualisation, you will pass with flying colours next time.
Paul Caswell
Grade 1
Punches
Very Good form throughout. Correct fist alignment and maintained locked elbows throughout the whole test. Impressive.
Balance, Footwork and Posture.Good focus. Needs a little more drive from the backleg at times. Good posture but too high in stance. Maintained good guard. Feet coming together on offline.
Pre Fight
Good pre fight posture. Good power on the pads with no drawback before shot is thrown. Accurate on all shots. Watch weight after landing the punch.
3 Drill
Very high standard. Excellent chop forwards to initiate attacks. All Laps were full with a good grip and control with the exception on the Lap before initiating a change as the mindfulness on the Lap was lost. No back fist before changing. Very good form. Used small movements and stayed relaxed throughout.
Lat Sau
Giving gaps by pushing from the wrist rather than locking at the elbow. Remained relaxed and adjusted well on the change when the first attempt didn’t go to my face. Good footwork throughout. Lost centre line on the punch – started punching side to side rather than one fist over the top of the other.
Closing Comments
Fantastic technique, focus and power throughout the grade. Passed by a clear mile. I really enjoyed seeing you apply the concepts and you showed a great understanding of the style.
Grade 2
Swing Defence
Very Good. Moved in quickly and with correct distance judgement. Correct angle maintained. Defended successfully. Maintained balance after shot. Strong structure.
Destroying balance, posture and stance.
Watch weight distribution when pushing on partner. Still too high in stance. Shoulders not square when destroying partners stance. Demonstrated posture breaks, shoulder rotations, stance breaking and arm push/pulls.
Focus pads
Nice and crisp. Displayed good accuracy. Solid technique.
3 Drill
Good speed. Defences broke down at speed. No extension on laps at speed. Footwork needs work. Adjusted well when under pressure and offlined but a little slow to react. Inside/ outside lap reaction a little slow and occasionally incorrect. Poor Lap on piston punch (pulling into the body rather than extending towards me). Posture poor on hit through the centre (leaning sideways). Needs to watch being trapped on hit through the centre. Good pak awareness. Good shoulder alignment on defences. Needs minor adjustment to hit through the centre defence.
Lat Sau
Demonstrated good composure under pressure. Good footwork and posture. Turned the wrong way on the cross defence. No centre line on stick. Turned away on stick. Gaps on punch defence.
Pyramid 7
Good effort. Locked well. A little tired.
Closing Comments
Really good effort throughout. Lots to work on but know you are mindful of what adjustments are needed we will make sure that together we get you there. You have a good innate understanding of the style and I’m confident that through training and visualisation, you will pass with flying colours next time.
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